by Paula Boer
“Mt. Evans. We may as well head there. If we don’t see any brumbies, we can stop at the base for lunch.”
They trotted on, letting their horses pick their own way around boulders and over the rocky track.
“Keep an eye out for snakes. They love to bask around here.”
Ben watched Louise for a response, but she merely nodded. She didn’t seem worried about snakes.
By the time they reached the base of Mt. Evans, Ben still hadn’t seen any sign of brumbies. “Let’s stop here. I don’t think we’re going to have any luck today.”
He dismounted and removed Snip’s saddle and bridle before tethering him by his halter to a low branch. As the gelding had sweated under his saddle blanket, Ben gave him a quick rub down with a handful of dry grass.
Louise did the same with Ned. “Maybe we scared them all off the other day. Mr Cartwright won’t be pleased if he doesn’t find any for the big muster.”
She sat in the shade of a big silver gum and opened her lunch.
Ben had hoped to find at least a few brumbies. Not only did he want to break in a wild horse, he’d also wanted to surprise his dad that he and Louise could do a muster on their own.
He thought Louise seemed unusually quiet. He guessed she felt as disappointed as him in not seeing any brumbies.
“I don’t think we can look much further. If we find some now it’s a long way to try to herd them back to the homestead. We might have to give up.”
Louise gave a small nod. “I guess you’re right, but at least we’re having a great ride.”
She plucked at a daisy and started to make a chain of flowers.
“The wind’s picking up. Look.” She threw a few grass stems in the air which twirled and rose above her head before flying away.
Ben looked up. “Look at those thunderheads.”
He hadn’t noticed the sky darkening while they ate their lunch under the tree. “If we get caught in a summer storm out here, we’ll get soaked. Come on, let’s get moving.”
He went and re-saddled Snip. When he saw Louise had Ned ready, he sprung into the saddle and headed back the way they had come.
Crack! Boom! Thunder sounded directly over their heads. The horses spooked and started to prance. The sky blackened and the wind blew in strong gusts.
“Let’s hurry. If we hit the track at the old mines we can make for the caves.” Ben let Snip break into a canter.
Within moments, rain and hail pelted down, stinging the horses and riders. Louise raced alongside Ben, lying low on Ned’s neck as he stretched his head forward. Ben thought it looked as if Ned squinted his eyes shut against the pellets. He held Snip tight between his legs and let him pick up speed.
They steadied as they passed the old mines, taking care to keep to the track. When they reached the trees, the track became slippery and narrow.
Ben slowed to a jog. “Be careful through here. There might be trees down.”
The horses puffed from their run but still wanted to go faster. Although the hail had turned to heavy rain, and the cover of the trees provided some protection, the cold wind made them all shiver.
“I’m freezing.” Louise had to shout for Ben to hear above the wind whipping the branches above their heads. “How much further?”
“We’ve still got to cross the old road. Then it’s about the same distance from there as we’ve come from the mines.”
Wherever the track allowed, they pushed their horses faster.
Up ahead, Ben could see the sign for Gould’s Caves. “Almost there. Come on.”
He cantered the last part of the track and led Snip into the shelter of a large cave. The young horse didn’t hesitate. The trust Ben had built up paid off. He hadn’t even loaded this horse on a float yet.
“Bring Ned in. He’s been in here before.”
Ben watched Louise lead the older horse in. She shivered and looked very pale.
“Are you okay?”
Louise gave a brief nod with chattering teeth. She had trouble undoing Ned’s bridle. After fumbling with the girth, she dragged the saddle from her horse’s back and almost fell as she went to place it pommel down against the stone wall of the cave.
“Here, let me help.” Ben grabbed Ned’s lead rope and studied Louise. “You really don’t look good.”
“Cccccold.” Louise sat on the dirt floor with her arms folded around her tucked up knees.
Ben finished attending to the horses before joining Louise. “I’ll light a fire. There’s always dry kindling in here.”
He scrambled around collecting twigs and dead leaves. Having made a small pile on a patch of ash in the centre of the cave, he flicked the lighter which he always carried with his penknife and a piece of baling twine in case of emergencies. A grey wisp of smoke spiralled upwards and a tiny flame grew between the sticks. He added more kindling.
“I’ll go and grab more wood. Can you keep an eye on the horses?”
Louise nodded with shut eyes. She had stopped shivering but looked pale and bedraggled.
Ben hurried to gather an armful of wood and raced back to the cave. He coaxed the tiny flames into a roaring blaze.
“You should take off that wet T-shirt and put on something dry.” He rummaged in Louise’s pack and handed her the windcheater.
The fire started to give out a good heat. The horses settled at the back of the cave, heads down and ears lolling. Ben thought it a good thing they had ridden so hard earlier in the day; the horses rested without fretting.
Louise lay down, still curled up with her arms around her knees. She laid her head on the floor of the cave, despite the pebbles and bat droppings.
After he had warmed himself and dried both horses, Ben went over to where Louise still lay. She hadn’t moved or spoken in ages.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
He didn’t get an answer. That worried him.
What should he do? He couldn’t leave her like that.
“I think I’d better go and get Dad. Will you be alright if I leave you?”
Louise opened her eyes and blinked, but didn’t speak. She groaned and lay flat out on her back.
“I’m going for help.”
He placed a bottle of water next to Louise and dropped his own lightweight jacket over her legs. He stoked the fire and re-saddled Snip, leaving Ned untacked.
“I’ll lead Ned home. He won’t want to stay here without Snip. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Ben cantered into the yard at home with Ned running alongside on his lead-rope. He could see his father’s ute over by the house gate. He pulled to a stop at the yards and jumped off Snip before pushing both horses through the gate. He quickly untacked Snip and raced to the house.
“Dad! Dad! Are you there? Louise needs help.”
He stood panting in the kitchen where both his parents sat with a pot of tea.
“What’s up? You’re fools to have been out riding with that storm coming up.” Mr Naylor took a sip of his tea, not bothering to rise.
“Dad, I think it’s serious. I’ve left her in Gould’s Caves. I think she might have hypothermia.”
“Oh, the poor girl. Allan, get moving. You can’t hang around.”
Mrs Naylor rushed out of the kitchen, coming back with an armload of blankets.
“Here, take these. And take her straight to the hospital, even if she looks alright when you get back.”
She thrust the blankets into Ben’s arMs “You go with your dad, I’ll look after the horses.”
“Thanks, Ma.” Ben raced to follow his father who had started the ute. He piled into the front and slammed the door shut.
Mr Naylor set off at his usual steady pace. Fortunately the old road led from Mirraburra to the track that Ben and Louise had taken to the caves. The four-wheel drive would be able to get in that way too. If they ha
d to go the longer way around the road, it would take another half hour at least.
“Can you hurry, Dad? I think she’s really sick.”
Ben felt useless sitting in the passenger seat. He hadn’t worried too much on his race back on Snip—he’d been too busy riding like a madman. Now he had time to think his mind raced with dangerous thoughts. Maybe it wasn’t the cold? Maybe she’d been bitten by a snake and he hadn’t noticed? Should he have left her on her own? What if she rolled into the fire? He pressed his feet to the floor as if he could get the old ute to go faster.
Mr Naylor changed gears with a rev. “You and Louise aren’t having much of a holiday, are ya? What with that ol’ tramp letting out the horses we mustered and all.”
“Do you still think it was Old Harry? Louise thinks it was Mr Smythe-Waters. He ran over her bike in town, and she reckons the tyre marks are the same as we saw at the yards.” Ben hadn’t told his parents about Louise’s bike.
“Well, that wouldn’t surprise me. Nothing but trouble he is. He’s still trying to get his lease back to put cattle in the park. He’s even going to run for Mayor in the hope of having more sway.”
He gripped the steering wheel and peered through the windscreen. The heavy rain made it difficult to see the track ahead. The windscreen wipers squeaked in a feeble attempt to keep up with the deluge.
Chapter 9
Sunbeams snuck through a crack between the curtains, warming a strip across the sheet that covered Louise. She stirred and rolled onto her back. Looking up at the ceiling of her bedroom, she saw the twinkling silver and gold stars she had stuck there at Christmas. She woke fully and sat up in bed.
What was she doing in bed in the middle of the day? Memories came flooding back— trying to muster brumbies, the hail storm, shivering in a cave. She looked around her. How did she get home? More memories rushed through her mind—the rough ride in Mr Naylor’s ute, the smell of antiseptic, starched white uniforMs
Moving carefully in case she had injured herself, she checked her arms and legs. All seemed fine.
“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
Mrs Hardy walked into the room and sat on the edge of Louise’s bed. She placed a glass of chocolate milk and some chocolate chip biscuits on the bedside table.
“You at least have some colour back in your face.” She stroked wisps of hair off Louise’s brow and straightened the sheet.
Louise’s head felt fuzzy. “I was trying to remember what happened. Did I go to hospital?”
Mrs Hardy crossed the room and opened the curtains. A light breeze blew in through the window.
“Yes, we were very worried about you for a while. The doctor thinks you have a virus, and probably had hypothermia too from getting dehydrated in the heat then soaking wet in the hail. You’ll need to spend a few days in bed.”
The fog cleared from Louise’s mind. “I’ve been feeling bad for a few days.”
She paused. “Now I remember. Ben galloped off with both horses to get his dad. Is he okay?”
Mrs Hardy stood by the bedroom door. “That’s why I popped in to see if you were awake. Ben’s here to see you.”
“Cool! Thanks for the drink and bikkies.” Louise puffed up the pillow behind her and picked up the glass of milk.
Before she had time for a sip, a large blue dog bounded in through the open window and jumped onto the bed. Chocolate milk splashed down her front, soaking her horse-patterned pyjamas. She bellowed at Snifter and gave him a huge shove, too late to stop him from licking her face. The cattle dog made the whole bed shake as he wagged his tail.
“Snifter! Get here.” Ben raced into Louise’s bedroom.
Grabbing his dog by the collar, he dragged him off the bed. “Lay down. Bad dog.”
Louise laughed as Snifter lay down and scratched at his ear. He started to lick his front paw as if he sat quietly at home outside his kennel.
“Sorry about that. I told him to stay but he must have heard your voice. He’s taken a real liking to you. He’s not normally like that with anyone but me.” Ben dragged the chair from Louise’s desk over to the side of the bed. “How are you? I’m glad you’re awake.”
“I’m fine. I’m glad you’ve come over. And Snifter! I was trying to remember everything that happened. Tell me all about it. The last I remember was unsaddling Ned in the cave.”
Ben reminded her of their day trying to locate brumbies near Mt. Evans and their race past the old mines to Gould’s Caves when it started to hail. “Snip and Ned were great. They must have known something was wrong. Dad and I came back to get you and take you to hospital.”
“So how did I get home?” Louise couldn’t work out why she hadn’t woken in hospital.
“The doctors kept you in overnight, then your mum and dad brought you home yesterday. You must have still been groggy.” Ben accepted one of Louise’s biscuits and stopped talking while he munched.
Crash! A terrible clanging came from the kitchen followed by a scream from Mrs Hardy. “Ben! Get your dog out of here.”
Ben leapt up and rushed out of Louise’s bedroom. Louise could hear all sorts of crashing and banging, her mother shouting at Ben and Ben shouting at Snifter. She wondered what had happened. She hadn’t noticed Snifter sneak out of her room.
Everything fell silent. Louise’s mum stormed into the room.
“That dog has wrecked the kitchen and half-eaten the lamb chops I had thawing for tonight’s dinner. I’ve told Ben to take him home.”
She tidied the wooden chair back to Louise’s desk. “That boy and his dog, they’re nothing but trouble. First you get hurt falling off one of his horses, then you end up in hospital, now they destroy the house. I think you need to find yourself a different friend.”
Without waiting for a response from Louise, she returned to the kitchen.
Louise sat stunned. Surely things weren’t that bad? It wasn’t Ben’s fault she’d fallen off Jake when they were mustering. Besides, she hadn’t been hurt at all. And she and Ben had such fun together. Who else could she ride with? The riding school didn’t have the same appeal now that she’d galloped in open country over the mountains. Despite admitting to herself that bringing Snifter here wasn’t a smart idea, the last thing she wanted was to give up her friendship with Ben.
After a few days of lazing around reading books, the pleasure of doing nothing wore off. Louise opened the fridge door and scanned the contents. Nothing appealed to her. Should she have a bowl of chocolate chip ice-cream? No, she didn’t feel hungry, not even chocolate could cheer her up.
Scuffing her feet along the carpet, she entered her mum’s music room.
Mrs Hardy looked up from her desk. “You’re looking perkier today. Why don’t you go for a walk?”
Louise brightened at the thought of getting away from the house. “Cool, I’d love to.”
The weather had returned to beautiful sunny days after the brief summer storMs She thought she might go for a cycle before remembering her bike lay in a twisted heap in the garage.
“I think I’ll go down to Lake Cumber.”
With a bounce in her step, Louise returned to the kitchen. After packing a water bottle into her pack she added a couple of muesli bars in case her appetite returned. Grabbing her favourite cap embroidered with the head of a black stallion, she skipped out of the front door and down the path.
It seemed as if all the birds sung to greet her. Magpies chortled in the big gum by the front gate, willy wagtails bobbed and trilled on the fence posts. A small flock of black cockatoos, their tails fanned out showing off bright yellow flashes, glided high overhead giving their eerie cry.
Louise felt refreshed after her enforced rest. What a pity she wasn’t going riding. Never mind, she hoped she’d see Ben soon. She didn’t really think her mum wanted her to end their friendship.
The footpath out of town ended at
the last house. Louise walked along the grassy verge, keeping an eye open for snakes. The hot summer had dried off the tall stalks and everything had taken on the same brown crispness.
Lake Cumber came into view, a vast expanse of blue which blended with the sky. The lake had been formed by the hydro scheme many years ago. It provided a large water reservoir for the town as well as somewhere to fish, boat, swim and water-ski. Lake Finnegan in Jackstown was tiny in comparison.
A long concrete bridge with metal railings carried the road over the Dalrymple River which joined the two lakes. Louise meandered along the track that left the road and followed the water. Only a trickle ran along the river bed today. An egret stood like a statue, one leg raised, at the edge of a deep pool. Louise stopped to watch, hoping to see it catch a fish.
Sitting on a rock, Louise plucked at some moss with her fingers. She thought of the brumbies high in the mountains, wondering where they were and what they were doing. She imagined the foals playing with each other and the young colts having practice fights. The mares would be watching out of the corners of their eyes as they grazed.
What was the buckskin mare doing? Would she escape the big muster being organised by the ranger? Louise shook her head trying to dispel the image of the horses being crowded into the sale yards and auctioned off.
Leaping to her feet to avoid her thoughts, Louise carried on her walk towards the lake. The egret ignored her and remained peering into the water. She gave it a small wave as she passed.
A horse! A horse grazed down by the lake. When she looked closer, Louise could see that the chestnut had hobbles around its front legs. She wondered who had ridden there and what they were up to.
She looked closer. It was Lady. Ben must be here. Trying not to run and startle the mare, Louise hurried to find her friend.
Ben sat on the wooden jetty next to the boat ramp with a hand line out in the lake. “Louise! Cool! Come and see the fish I caught.”
He proudly picked up a large trout by the gills. Its rainbow scales glimmered in the sunlight. “Ma’ll be pleased, especially if I catch another two. Give me a hand. There’s another line in my saddlebags.”